Saying good bye publicly and privately to a remarkable woman

“Yesterday, we lost a giant – an exceptionally creative scientist and engineer who was also a delightful human being. Millie Dresselhaus began life as the child of poor Polish immigrants in the Bronx; by the end, she was Institute Professor Emerita, the highest distinction awarded by the MIT faculty. A physicist, materials scientist and electrical engineer, she was known as the “Queen of Carbon” because her work paved the way for much of today’s carbon-based nanotechnology.’ In 2014, Millie won the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States. I believe she earned this distinction because the way that she led her life in science represented citizenship in the highest sense.”(Excerpt from MITNEWS President L. Rafael Reif, Feb21, 2017.)

Only a few days before her death, GE produced a commercial titled “What if female scientists were celebrities?” profiling Millie as a role model promoting and encouraging women to pursue science and technical roles. This video will be a lasting legacy for the general public who otherwise would not know this remarkable woman.

I did not know Millie as a scientist nor was I conversant in her work with carbon based nanotechnology. I did however know her as a mother and grandmother who raised her family to be strong and search out and pursue their dreams. I know she was at her lab last Monday doing science and one week later, she passed away. While the scientific community has lost a renowned physicist, my sympathies are directed to the Dresselhaus family who has lost their mother (and inlaw), wife and grandmother.

Audrey Miller also blogs at:

I often meet with clients who wish to have Wills prepared which provide for trusts for their children. After explaining the nature of a testamentary trust to the clients, I typically recommend that they select a set age that the child is to receive the capital (or the remainder thereof)...
The post When is “old enough”? Choosing an age for estate distributions appeared first on All About Estates. […]